A Demon and Her Dragon
by LadyTuaramandil
Summary: There are three months before the Grand Magic Games begin. The Strauss siblings have gone up to the mountains to train, and apparently so have Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe. What will happen when a bored Laxus realizes that the beautiful Mirajane is nearby and just happens to run into her nearly every evening? Laxus x Mira with a bit of ElfGreen.
1. An Unexpected Encounter

**A/N: Hey everyone! I intend this story to be pure romance. Expect lots of fluff, a bit of drama, and hopefully some good character development throughout. I understand that Mira x Laxus isn't one of the more canon pairings so it's a little more difficult to write their interactions. Expect some ElfGreen later on as well with hints at other pairings.**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

The three Strauss siblings sat around the campfire together after their first long day of training in the mountains. Mirajane smiled and stood up after finishing her fish and walked over to her and Lisanna's tent, gathering up a few things out of it.

"Lisanna, I'm going to go take a bath in that large pond we found earlier. Would you like to join me?" She smiled warmly at her younger sister, who smiled back wearily and then yawned.

"Sorry Mira, I'm pretty worn out. Besides, I don't think I smell TOO bad." At this, Elfman sniffed the air and grinned.

"Having a smell is a MAN!"

Ignoring her brother, the youngest Strauss continued, waving her hand in the air. "You go on ahead. I think I'm just going to go sleep. "

With that, she yawned again and stretched her arms outwards, standing up wearily and slowly walking back to the tent past her elder sister. Mirajane watched Lisanna disappear through the flaps, giggling as she heard a low groan followed by the thump of the younger animal soul mage collapsing onto the sleeping pad. The eldest take over mage looked back at her brother, who was smiling goofily as he stirred the flames of their now fading campfire. He caught her looking at him and smiled more gently.

"You go on and take your bath. I'll clean everything up here for tonight."

Mira smiled back warmly and finished gathering up her things. "Thank you, Elfman. I'm not sure how long I will be, so don't wait up for me, okay?"

The muscular Strauss sibling furrowed his brow a bit, but smiled again. "Alright. Just be careful, okay sis?"

At this, the silver-haired barmaid chuckled and walked over to her brother, planting a light kiss on his temple.

"Elfman, this is only the first day. If I was already injured then I wouldn't be much use in the tournament anyway. Besides…" She straightened herself up, adjusting the garments and other bathing items she held in her arms as she smiled broadly. "Your big sister is the second strongest woman in Fairy Tail. You forget that I can put you in your place if I want to… So long as you don't use any under-handed tricks on me, such as saying you're getting married." She smirked as her brother's cheeks went bright red and his jaw dropped a little.

"Th-That wasn't me! That was Ever's—"

"Ohh, so she's just 'Ever' now? My, my…" The demon mage tittered.

Elfman's face went another shade darker. Satisfied, Mirajane threw him her most devilishly innocent smile and turned on her heel, heading towards the pond with a spring in her step, leaving her younger brother red-faced and sputtering.

"Goodnight little brother! Sweet dreams!"

* * *

Meanwhile, at another camp in the mountains...

Laxus stared at the flames of their campfire. They had three whole months until the tournament, and even though it was only the first day of training, he was already bored. Naturally he appreciated the Ranjishu, but in terms of power they really were not even close to a match for him. Sure, Freed could use his runes in combination with Bixlow's puppets to create some obstacle courses and reflex training, but he wanted to improve his sheer power.

He let out a heavy sigh, jabbing at the flames with a stick while resting his chin and cheek in the other hand, his elbow propped up on his knee. There really was not anyone he could properly spar with on that front. Gramps was still mad that he was even in the guild at all and Gildarts had run off yet again. He had no idea where Erza was either and Mystogan had apparently gone back to some other dimension or universe or something while the lightning mage was in exile. He sighed again. Did it even matter? He was not much on being social anyway, other than with his three close companions, and sparring required some amount of socialization. Of course, he could always try to find Natsu, Gray, Gajeel or Elfman and just beat them up- though that would provide only so much amusement. He grumbled a bit and stood up, tossing his stick into the fire and stuffing his large hands into his pockets as he slouched his shoulders.

"Ah, Laxus, are you going somewhere?" The rune mage looked up, smiling fondly at the blonde man.

Laxus grunted and gave the flamboyant green haired man a nod. "Yeah. I think I'm going to go take a bath in that lake or pond or whatever we found earlier."

The rune mage's eyes lit up "Would you like me to join you?"

"Join you join you!" Echoed Bixlow's floating companions as their master cackled loudly.

Evergreen raised one eyebrow at Freed, grimacing slightly at his rather bold inquiry.

Laxus raised an eyebrow as well, forcing an awkward smile. "Uh, no thanks. I'll just go by myself."

With that he quickly turned away, waving his hand as he walked out of their campsite into the darkening forest nearby, ignoring the somewhat disappointed look on the green haired mage's face.

He walked for a little while along the beaten down forest path, which was gradually growing smaller the deeper in he got. He did not seem to mind or even notice, however, as he was lost deep in his own thoughts. He wondered how exactly he was going to pass the time. Sure, he would 'train' every day with the others, but he knew that this would end up being more for their benefit than his. Not that he minded their company- Truthfully, he really had missed them during his exile. Sure, Freed was a bit annoying and overly clingy, Evergreen was a haughty bitch and Bixlow was just _weird_, but they were still his closest friends and the three people he knew he could count on. Maybe even his only friends, now that he thought about it. The others did seem happy to see him and have him back, and they always said he was a part of their family, but he just never felt like he was.

The lightning dragon slayer had always felt like a bit of an outcast, even moreso after his father was exiled from the guild. He had come to realize over the course of his own expulsion that most of these feelings were his own fault, though he knew many of them stemmed from his upbringing. He was raised by his power hungry father, and even then the man only partially raised him. His grandfather had taken over for the most part, but by the time he took full responsibility for him the young lightning mage was a rebellious teenager who had been raised by an egomaniac…

_With you gone, I brush the desk_

_As the shadow drops, I'm alone again today_

_Looking up at the sky, I pray_

_Knowing you're under this same sky…_

Laxus slowed down, lifting his head up as he was gently pulled out of his dark thoughts by the most soothing voice he had ever heard in his life.

_At times when you're shaking with tears_

A soothing voice he had heard before. Many times before.

_And times when you seem to be engulfed by the darkness_

A voice that he had always been drawn to. One he would go out of his way to hear- Even going so far as to sneak out into one of the trees outside of the girls' dorm at Fairy Hills just to catch even a few lyrics sung by that silky voice.

_Don't forget…_

A voice that always calmed him down.

_You always have…_

That made him feel welcome and cared for.

_You always have a place to return to_

A voice that he had always felt, or at least wished…

…_And people that are waiting for you._

…was singing directly to him.

He realized now he was practically running through the brush, punching tree branches aside that got in his way even in the slightest. He slowed down just before the clearing that he could see through the trees ahead, gingerly stepping through.

Night was fully upon them now, the sky painted a mixture of dark blues and dotted with bursts of turquoise around the moon and stars. The large pond glistened in the moonlight, its calm waters reflecting the night sky and everything nearby as if it were a mirror with the tinniest of ripples in it. Near the shore, however, was something that glowed and shined more than anything else, like lone star in the night sky.

Long, gently curly and angelic white hair that shone more brightly than the moon itself tumbled down pale and smooth shoulders, cascading over the nipples of two ample breasts, pooling around a perfect waist in intricate patterns at the water's surface. This elegant silky hair framed an even more elegant and perfect face, smooth and gentle, with two large and kind sapphire eyes now slightly covered by loose bangs that were normally up in a small ponytail. However, even through the bangs, the awestruck dragon slayer could see the blue orbs pouring into him.

Staring right at him as he admired her unclothed body.

…Oh. Damnit.

"Who… _Laxus_? Is that you?"

The lightning mage just stood there, dumbfounded, trying his best not to look anywhere but her face as his own flushed slightly.

"Uh, hey, Mira."

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed that! The song I put there is an English translation of the actual song Mirajane sings in the anime, "Tabidatsu no Mono He. I'm not a fan of mixing Japanese and English together so I just used the translated version.**

** Let me know what you think of the fic so far and what sort of things you'd like to see in future chapters! I know where I'm going with it, but the road there has not yet been paved. =)**

**By the way, I'm setting this at T for now but it uhh... Might change to M at some point. We will see. **


	2. Musings

**A/N: First, let me just say this.**

**Oh. My. God. Wow. Just... Wow. I did not expect so many reviews and favorites after only ONE chapter. In fact I didn't expect to get this many, like, ever. I was going to be overjoyed if I ever got to 20, but at this rate I don't think that's such far-off dream. I just wish my other fics would get some love! Haha. **

**Also. Fangirls, you are crazy. I love you, but my God. You are crazy. 3 Demanding an update only 3 hours after the first chapter is posted! Ahahaha! Thanks to your encouragement though, I got this chapter out much faster than I had originally planned. =)**

**Anywho, enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

Laxus continued to gape slack-jawed at the naked Mirajane, desperately fighting the urge to allow his eyes to wander below her face. He was pulled out of his encroaching dirty thoughts by her silky voice.

"What are you doing here, Laxus?" She smiled sweetly, the faintest of blushes staining her porcelain cheeks.

He fumbled for words and his composure. Obviously, he could not just come out and say "I heard your beautiful singing voice and followed it". He slouched a bit, stuffing his hands in his pockets to look more relaxed despite the millions of thoughts racing through his head.

"Same as you I guess. Was gonna wash off before bed." _Well, it's not a lie._ His eyes wandered briefly down to her chest, which was now, he noted with a bit of disappointment, covered by her pale and slender arms.

Mira beamed at him, either missing or trying to ignore his curious eyes. "Ah, why didn't you say so? Sorry, I'll get right out." When the lightning dragon did not move, she continued more firmly, her smile dropping slightly. "Laxus, please turn around."

His back straightened once more as he snapped to attention again, moving to comply until something popped into his head. Something so very typical of him, or at least who he _had_ been for so many years. He turned back toward her, smirking.

"Nah, don't trouble yourself. I'll just come right in there with ya." As he started to lift his shirt off, Mira gasped.

"LAXUS DREYAR!" She snapped sharply.

He stopped immediately, his elbows tucked awkwardly in the folds of his shirt as his hands gripped the fabric, his smirk turning into a look of shock- Though it was not directed at the demon mage. It was directed at himself. _What the hell was wrong with him?_ He had tried so hard to change who he had been in the past during his period of exile. He tried to open his eyes and become a good person- One worthy to bear the guild mark as well as its legacy. Someone who would actually make that old geezer, as well as his guildmates, proud. His shoulders and arms slumped as he slowly pulled the shirt back down, smoothing it out and turning away from the shocked and fuming take over mage.

"Er, sorry." The lightning mage muttered apologetically. He heard the water lap against the woman's smooth skin followed by wet feet slapping onto hard dirt. As he heard her approaching, something caught his eye. A fluffy blue towel and a pair of pajamas sat dangling from the tree branch right in front of him. The footsteps behind the muscular man stopped abruptly and he assumed that the demon mage noticed the same thing he did. She let out a heavy sigh, and it was all he could do to not turn around and look at her.

"Er, I can close my eyes." He offered.

"Can you really?" The white haired woman deadpanned.

He could not resist. He really could not.

"Or I could keep 'em open. In fact, I could just help dress you, if that's what you prefer." The dragon mage smirked again, and though she could not see it he knew that it was apparent in the tone of his voice.

A powerful wave of magical power erupted behind him, causing his smirk to drop into a wide-eyed frown. Against his better judgment, the blonde turned around, coming face to face with a very, VERY angry demon. Literally, a demon. Mirajane stood there in her Satan Soul form, wings outstretched, tail swaying dangerously, arms crossed over her now clothed (although barely) chest.

"Leave."

It was not a demand or a question, it was as if she was just stating a fact, something that was going to happen _no matter what_. However, Laxus being Laxus, he could not help but grin and raise an eyebrow.

"So why didn't you just do that in the first place?" The demon's eyes narrowed and he continued, his tone turning into one of mockery. "In fact can't you just use yer shapeshifting magic to make clothes appear on you? Could it be that you _wanted_ me to have a peak at that model body of yours?"

Mirajane's jaw dropped. _How… How could ANYONE be this infuriating?_ Even _Laxus_! She had thought the arrogant blonde man had changed. He _seemed_ so much more mature, more friendly, more _caring,_ since he had come back.

…Though it would not be the first time she had been wrong about him.

"I was treating you as I would a gentleman, giving you the benefit of the doubt, though it was _clearly_ a mistake on my part." The white haired demon glared at the immature man coldly, then turned and walked around behind him to retrieve her clothes.

"Oh? No wild punches to the face? Demon Mirajane from three years ago would have beat the shit out of me for pullin' somethin' like this… Or at least tried." The corner of his lip curled at this last part.

She huffed as she gathered up her clothes, then turned to face the arrogant lightning mage.

"Some people change, Laxus." The demon walked past him towards where she had apparently entered the clearing, stopping again to turn and bore into him with her sapphire eyes. "… But I guess you wouldn't know anything about that."

With that she stormed out of the clearing, too obviously angry to change back into her human form, leaving the blonde man wordlessly gaping after her.

* * *

By the time Mirajane arrived back at her camp, she had already resumed her human form and put her pajamas on somewhere along the way. She looked around her campsite briefly, noting that everything had been cleaned up for the night just as Elfman had promised. She heard the sound of his rather loud snoring coming from his large, normally 3-person tent and could not help but smile a little, despite her current mood.

After deciding that everything regarding the state of their home for the next several months was satisfactory, the white haired mage let out a yawn and stooped down in front of the tent she shared with her younger sister. The demon mage delicately opened up the flap so as not to wake the younger girl and carefully eased herself inside and onto her sleeping pad. She crawled up to the top of the mat and very gently pulled down the covers, but as she tucked herself underneath she heard her 'roommate' stir.

"Mira? Is that you sis?" Mumbled a sleepy Lisanna.

The mage in question froze, then gently reached her hand out to her younger sister, resting it on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry sweetie. Did I wake you?"

The animal soul mage yawned a little and shook her head. "Well, yes and no. You were quiet but…" She reached her hand up to place it on top of the one her older sister had perched on her shoulder. "Is something wrong? Your aura is a little heavy…"

The barmaid's eyes widened a bit before her expression softened into an apologetic smile. She had forgotten how good her little sister was at reading moods. Ever since Lisanna was little, she had always been able to 'read souls'- It came along with her connection to the souls of animals. It was not that she could read minds or anything like that- she could just sense when anyone, be it human or animal, was upset or troubled.

"I'm fine Lisanna. I just had a little experience with disappointment is all."

The younger girl furrowed her brows together, but the demon mage just smiled sweetly and brushed the girl's bangs from her face and stroked her short and soft white hair.

"It's okay honey, just go back to sleep. I'm sorry for waking you." The older girl kissed her little sister's forehead, then pressed her own against it, smiling reassuringly. "I'll be fine, I promise. It really wasn't anything big."

The youngest Strauss sighed. "If you say so, sis. But please talk to me if anything is bothering you, okay?"The seventeen year old gave the barmaid one last concerned look before she broke out into a heavy yawn.

The eldest Strauss sibling giggled lightly, stroking the girl's hair one last time before pulling the covers more snugly around the animal soul mage's shoulders. "I will Lisanna, I promise. Sleep well, okay?"

The short haired girl nodded sleepily, mumbling out a 'You too Mira' before snuggling down into her covers and falling right back into a heavy slumber. Mirajane smiled fondly and laid back against her pillow, pulling her own covers around herself as she, too, attempted to sleep.

However, sleep would not come to the demon mage quite as easily. She stared up at the ceiling of their tent, her sharp eyes absentmindedly studying the stitches and curves of the dark blue fabric. She knew she should not be bothered or even surprised by the lightning mage's behavior- A couple months of exile could not fix the behavior of someone as stubborn, arrogant, and mentally scarred as Laxus Dreyar. Yet, when he had come back he really DID seem different. He saved all of them from likely certain defeat, probably even death, and even gave up his own power for Natsu, so that someone with the mark of the guild was the one to defeat Master Hades. She also remembered the way he reacted when he saw that Lisanna was alive, a sight that really warmed the barmaid's heart to the very core. He saw the animal soul mage and just sat down in front of her, staring at her for a while before awkwardly reaching out to her- probably to pat her head gently, but being the awkward and proud man he was he instead started pulling at her cheeks and patting her head a bit less than gently. Yet, all the while, he had the warmest, fondest smile on his face. The eldest Strauss could not help but smile at the memory. Then, it hit her.

He started messing with Lisanna because he was being shy, because he really WAS happy to see her alive, but did not know how to properly express it. The barmaid's eyes widened in realization as she tried to stifle the tiny gasp that escaped her lips. She remembered the look of shock on the blonde man's face when he saw her earlier that evening and his attempts to apologize. They were not faked- His bold statements and advances though likely were. The man was never exactly a social butterfly, and, until a little over two years ago, neither was she.

Any anger she had left over all but disappeared, instead molding into pity and understanding, albeit with some apprehension still mixed in. If she ran into him again she would, once more, give him the benefit of the doubt.

Satisfied at her resolve, the white haired demon mage yawned and snuggled down into her covers, a gentle smile caressing her features as she followed her sister into sleep.

* * *

The blonde lightning mage tossed off his clothes, leaving them in an unceremonious pile next to the entrance of the clearing. He lifted his large, muscular arms into the air, stretching them and causing his muscles to tense and ripple. He stretched them in front of him, cracking his neck side to side, before walking over to the edge of the pond. He grimaced as he dipped his feet into the colder than expected water, wondering how Mirajane had managed to look so calm and keep that gorgeous skin of hers goose bump-free in the frigid lakelet. He made his way further into the star-stained aqua marine waters, settling himself on a boulder under the water. As the lightning mage adjusted himself to the cold and got comfortable on his stone seat, the water reaching to just below his collar bone, he let his mind wander. He leaned against another large stone behind him, draping his arms over it lazily as he stared into the diamond-studded sky.

It had not been long since he had been admitted back into the guild by Gildarts, much to his grandfather's annoyance. In fact it had really only been a couple of weeks or so since the incident at Tenroujima- Okay, technically, it had been seven years, but for him and the rest of the group it had only been two weeks. It was barely enough time to adjust for the anti-social lightning dragon, despite the warm welcome he received from everyone- Everyone except his grandfather, of course.

The two months he was away gave him a lot of insight. Being alone, traveling the country and seeing things in a new light made him realize how spoiled he had been in Fairy Tail, but also how lucky. He was too cocky, arrogant and self absorbed to realize how much he relied on everyone else, and how much they took care of him. Being forced away from all that made him understand that he was not nearly as independent as he had thought, and it was much harder for him to get jobs and take care of himself since he had no guild mark. Yet all that time, there was always something he could count on. When he would camp out at night under the stars he would often recall that night of the Fantasia parade, when the entire guild gave him their signature 'Number One' hand sign. It reminded him that he would not be exiled forever.

That, just as in Mira's song, he always had a place to return to, and people that were waiting for him- Even if it would take some time before that could happen.

_Mirajane..._

He thought back to his earlier encounter with the white haired woman. He had not intended to chase her away like that. Come to think of it, he was not really sure WHAT he had intended to do. At the time, all he could think about was getting closer to that voice, just as he always had whenever his sharp ears heard it producing a melody. It had been so long since he had heard her sing. He remembered how upset he was when Mira, about a week prior, had announced that she was not feeling well so Gajeel would performing in her stead. It made him feel justified in knowing that he was going to get to clobber the out of tune iron dragon slayer.

But tonight, he finally got to hear that enchanting voice again. _A private performance that came with a little something extra_, he mused. Sure, everyone had seen her in her bathing suit, but he got to see so much more- even if it was unintentional and the demon was thoroughly disgusted by him now. As he stared up at the stars, the corner of the blonde man's lip curled and he could not help the smirk that crept onto his face.

Well, he could at least say one thing for certain- He definitely was not bored anymore.

* * *

**A/N: **

**So what do you guys think of all the sibling affection? Is it too sugary or do you like it? I've just always pictured the Strauss siblings as really, really close since they seem reluctant to interact with others as much in the series. Plus I'm a huge sucker for just general affection- Not necessarily romantic affection, just any kind of sweet and gentle gestures. That's probably why I like Fairy Tail so much- It's much more willing to show affection between people, not just couples, than most anime.**

**Anyway, I had some trouble with the last part of this chapter- Laxus's musings were more difficult to organize and write than I expected and I'm still not 100% satisfied.**

**Let me know what you guys think! Thank you SO MUCH for the insane amount of support after only one chapter! You have no idea how much it means! **


	3. Stargazing

**A/N: I am so sorry that this is so late. It was a very hard chapter to write, and while it's still not great, it's 10x better than what it started as. It's super long too because I crammed a whole bunch of stuff in so we could get to the more fun stuff faster, so sorry if anything feels rushed.**

**As for those of you asking for M rated stuff- OMIGAWD BE PATIENT. I want this to be a long story, 20+ chapters, so your M rated stuff is going to have to wait till at LEAST chapter like, 15 or something. You dirty perverted fangirls (who I love).**

**AND OMIGAWD YES I TOTALLY SAW THE MIRAXUS MOMENT IN THE MOST RECENT CHAPTER AND NEARLY DIED. I WAS JUST... OMIGAWD. So this chapter is dedicated to that. And to you guys for being my wonderful crazy fangirls. I also can't help but notice that the views/favorite/follows spiked the DAY AFTER the most recent chapter came out. Oh you gals are too funny. **

**Thank you again for all the support! I love all the reviews and follows and favs and I love you all so much! I'm doing my very best to keep the story feeling very canon- I actually read up on the chapters and rewatch any episodes that might be relevant to the story for every chapter I write, to make sure I'm not causing any inconsistancies. There are a few I'm sure but I will continue to work to correct them.**

**With that said, I do not own Fairy Tail (I wish I did) but Hiro Mashima does. And if I did own Fairy Tail rest assured I would troll you all just as much as he does. Maybe more. **

**ENJOY!**

* * *

"Man-cakes, man eggs, man sausa—Eeeer never mind."

Mirajane rubbed her eyes sleepily, awoken by the sound of her brother's out of tune singing voice and silly, nonsensical song that he most likely thought was 'very man(ly)'.

The demon mage stretched her slender arms upwards and yawned, turning over groggily to see if her sister had also been awoken by Elfman's serenade. However, the youngest take-over mage was not there. Mirajane's heart rate rose slightly as she kicked off her covers swiftly, pulling the tent door open and trying to remain calm as she ducked out of the small sleeping quarters. The white haired woman straightened herself up and strolled as gracefully as she could over to her brother, smiling sweetly.

"Good morning, Elfman."

The male Strauss looked back over his shoulder, grinning when he saw his older sister.

"Ah, mornin' sis!"

As he said this though his eyes scanned her face, quickly registering the worry she was trying to hide. Ever since Lisanna had come back from Edolas, Mira would go into varying degrees of panic whenever she did not know where the younger girl was. Though she had calmed down considerably over the past couple months, Elfman could still tell when his eldest sister was worrying over his younger one. He smiled reassuringly.

"Lisanna just went into town to grab some things for tonight. She'll be back soon."

The barmaid tried to stifle the heavy sigh of relief that came pouring out of her before she looked up at her muscle-bound brother again.  
"Wait, tonight? Is something happening?"

The male take-over mage turned back to his cooking . "Cana is coming up today to train with us, and later tonight we were all going to stargaze, remember?"

Mirajane thought for a moment before breaking into her signature cheery smile, innocently stating as a matter-of-fact, "You mean Cana is coming up to drink."

Elfman chuckled, declaring boisterously, "Of course! Cana is a MAN!"

The demon barmaid giggled. "Sometimes I do wonder if that's the case." She sighed a little, still beaming sweetly. "I wonder if Lisanna can carry enough alcohol back here."

The white haired man grinned "Lisanna is a MA—" He stopped quickly as Mirajane smiled darkly up at him. Turning back to his meal preparations, he let out a small cough.

"Uh, right. Breakfast should be ready any minute, sis."

* * *

At the base of the mountains lay a quaint but lively little port town. People from all over came to sell and trade their goods so the shops had a wide array of different odds and ends- From imported cheeses to potions that changed the color scheme of your entire house.

Lisanna Strauss made her way through the cobblestone streets, arms already full with sacks of alcohol bottles and a small variety of foods. As she mentally ran through her shopping list, the animal soul mage looked around cheerily while merchants set up shop for the day and fisherman came in from the port, having already done their day's work.

As she continued to make her way down the main street, trying to see if there might be anything else she should take back to her siblings for tonight, the white haired girl noticed the backs of a very familiar pair a couple shops ahead of where she was. One man had long green hair and a red trench coat white the other wore a mixture of purple cloths and silver armor and was surrounded by what looked like small floating tiki dolls. The youngest Strauss beamed brightly.

"Freed! Bixlow!" She called out, wishing she could wave one of her weighted down arms.

The men in question looked around in confusion for a moment before turning around, frowning slightly until they discovered who had called out to them. The rune mage smiled with warm surprise as the soul mage grinned.

"Miss Lisanna! What a pleasure seeing you this fine morning!"

"Haha! What's up, Lisanna?"

"Sanna! Sanna!"

The animal soul mage smiled brightly at the two older boys, trotting up to them. "What are you two doing here?"

The flamboyant green haired man smiled down fondly at the younger girl, taking one of the bags out of her arms so she could relax a bit as they chatted. "We were just gathering up supplies to bring back to our camp. What about yourself?" At this, the rune mage peaked into the bag he had taken from her, grimacing slightly at the massive amount of alcohol that he could only assume was mirrored in Lisanna's other bag, which Bixlow had taken to holding so Lisanna could stretch her slender arms a bit.

"The same thing I suppose. Where are you guys staying?" She tilted her head curiously, smiling back at the older boys and she flexed her tingling arms, the numbness starting to wear off.

"We are up in the mountains just above here. What of you and your siblings? Are you staying in town?"

The takeover mage shook her head, grinning. "We're up in the mountains too!"

The two men of the Thunder God Tribe looked at each other, then mirrored the grin on the white haired girl's face.

"Is that so?"

* * *

That night, after a long day of training, Cana and the three Strauss siblings lay sprawled out on their picnic blankets, admiring the stars together. Cana leaned up against a rock between Elfman and Lisanna, smiling as she threw back yet another bottle of ale. The youngest Strauss giggled, watching as the card mage finished off her drink in one go. The white haired girl looked up at the stars, smiling brightly.

"How do you think the others are doing with their training? Do you think they're all looking at the stars too- the same as us?"

Mirajane, who sat a couple feet away from them on the blanket preparing some snacks, smiled gently as she looked over at her three companions.

"I think so. After all, we're all a part of the same guild, and though we all have different dreams, we share the same goal- Happiness, and to restore the pride of our guild, for the sake of our friends."

Lisanna continued to smile as Elfman smirked knowingly. Even the inebriated Cana smiled contemplatively, staring up at the sky. The demon barmaid continued.

"No matter where we are, no matter how long we're gone… Even if we're trapped in another world…" She looked over at her younger sister, who smiled back warmly. "…We are always connected. Always."

The eldest Strauss looked back at the stars. "I think everyone is working hard. Our pride as a guild… No, as the Fairy Tail family, is on the line, and not a single one of us would ever dream of letting any of us down. Strongest or not, Fairy Tail will always be the guild with the biggest heart."

The four of them sat in silence for a few moments, all staring at the stars, and, at that moment, the hearts of the entire guild were connected under that very same star-studded sky.

As Mirajane finished up with the snacks, she glanced over behind the rock her siblings and Cana were leaning on. A large pile of glass bottles, canteens, sake shot glasses and wooden mugs had quickly grown there, mostly contributed to by the already drunk brunette. She furrowed her brows slightly, her smile turning into one of concern.

"Cana, maybe you should take it easy on the booze… I think you've had more than enough tonight."

The young animal soul mage peaked over the rock she was leaning on, frowning slightly. "Wow, that's even more than usual." She turned her attention to the drunk woman next to her. "Cana, I think Mira's right. Maybe you should call it a night."

The male of the group glanced back as well, eyes widening. "Yeah, even a man needs to give it a rest once in a while…"

The card mage tried to scoff, letting out a hiccup instead. "Psshhhh whatd'yoo gais know. I'm fiiine. I got thish." She reached for the wine bottle Mirajane had not yet opened, only to have the aforementioned woman pull it out of her reach.

"That's enough, Cana." She stood up, bending down to the other woman and pulling her arm over her own shoulders as the drunk card mage drooled out a series of slurred protests. "We need to get you cleaned up and sobered up." She took another look at the brunette, frowning a bit.

"Well, as sober as you CAN be in this state…"

* * *

Laxus once again relaxed in the large pond beneath the stars. He had just come back up from the city where he and the Thunder God Tribe had gone for dinner after their second day of training. _Their second very long and boring day of training_, Laxus emphasized to himself. He sighed heavily, leaning back against the rock behind him in the water to stare at the stars. He wanted to help his companions grow stronger, but he could not help but wish that they posed a little more of a challenge to him, so that he could improve his own strength. It would also help these next few months before the competition feel less… Never-ending. Two days in and it already felt like forever. Granted, last night had been a fun little surprise.

Just as the lightning mage's mind began to wander, his sensitive Dragon Slayer ears picked up voices. The blonde man listened intently, noting that the voices were growing louder and more recognizable.

"Cana! I told you, you need to keep your swimsuit ON."

"Whaa? Whyryoo bein' so shy? It'sh jusht us girlies. Are ya afraid I'll make a move on that pretty model bod o' yers?"

The first voice let out a heavy sigh. "No, Cana, it's—CANA! I said keep it ON! Goodness, this is wasted even by YOUR standards…"

The two female voices were now just outside the clearing. Laxus could not help but smirk as Mirajane and Cana stepped through the brush, looking rather bedraggled. The white haired woman was holding the burnet's right arm over her own shoulders, trying to keep the obviously drunk woman steady as the demon mage dropped a bag of what Laxus assumed was clothing onto the grass. The barmaid adjusted herself again and led Cana carefully over to the small lakelet, stopping just before the edge of the water. Her eyes met the gold ones of the dragon slayer, who was still smirking.

"Looks like you two had some fun tonight," he remarked.

The card mage immediately perked up upon hearing the familiar male voice. "Laxshush? Izzat yoo?"

"Hey Cana. You seem even more drunk than usual." He grinned at the burnet, who grinned back with half-lidded eyes and pushed herself off of the white haired barmaid to clumsily wade over to the blonde man. Laxus chuckled lightly as Mirajane, normally so calm, appeared to be somewhat flustered at the moment. The demon mage quickly waded after the fortune teller, holding her hands out as if that was going to steady the wasted woman in front of her, shooting the lightning mage a quick glare.

The burnet plopped herself down next to the lightning dragon slayer, swinging an arm over his shoulders as she reached into her bikini top and pulled out a small flask from underneath one of her breasts. She grinned widely and offered it to the man next to her.

"Drink wi' me Laxshush!"

The man in question, however, was more focused on the demon mage next to the drunk woman. Mirajane, despite her sweet smile, was clearly caught between being incredibly annoyed and very worn out. The lightning mage figured it must have been a long trip to the pond with the drunk card mage, who was now leaning very heavily on him and patting his pecs, mumbling something about his 'boobs' rivaling her own.

Laxus smiled awkwardly, trying to gently pry Cana's hands off of him. Suddenly, the drunk brunette seemed to register something.

"Wait, Mira… Didjoo want me to keep my shwimshoot on cuz o' Laxus? Didjoo know he wash gunna be here?" The card mage grinned, her eyes half lidded still in her drunken stupor. "Izzare sumthin' yoo wanna tell me? Are yoo two-"

Suddenly, the inebriated brunette was met with a small wave of water to the face as Mirajane splashed her.

"You need to sober up."

This only spurred the fortune teller on, however, as she grinned wider, smacking her hand into the water lazily as if to splash the white haired woman back. "Pffft we were all kidsh toge'er, an' if yoo two are an item then a lil' bit o' skin ain't no-"

Seeing the demon mage start to glower, her aura darkening, Laxus quickly cut in.

"Nah Cana, we just happened to run into each other here last night. That's all."

The barmaid visibly relaxed, giving the dragon slayer a quick but grateful smile. The card mage frowned, looking from one of them to the other before yawning heavily.

"Boooorrrriiing. Night night." With that, she collapsed onto a surprised Laxus, who quickly caught the intoxicated woman before her upper body fell into the water. Mirajane sighed, standing up and wading over to her two guild mates. She scooped up Cana, slinging the drunk woman's arm over her own shoulders once more. The lightning dragon slayer raised an eyebrow, looking at the white haired woman.

"Do you want some help taking her back?"

The barmaid shook her head, bouncing a bit to shift the unconscious woman's weight onto herself more evenly. "Thank you Laxus, but I can handle this fine."

The scarred man frowned, then stood up to help anyway. He bent down and took the sleeping card mage's other arm and draped it over his shoulders, resting his hand on her waist while he hunched over awkwardly to match the barmaid's height. Mirajane frowned at him.

"I told you I'm fine, Laxus. You don't need to trouble yourself over this."

The blonde dragon slayer shook his head. "I'd feel better if someone else were with you, just in case something were to happen." He looked away "Er, I mean, if the old man found out I just left you two ladies without an escort, I'd never hear the end of it," he added quickly.

"I can take care of myself you know." She deadpanned, but started walking forward along with Laxus and the unconscious Cana anyway.

"I know you can- Believe me, I know. But with her unconscious like this…"

Mirajane finally sighed in defeat, returning his slight smile, a hint of pink on her cheeks. "Okay, fine. But only since you insisted."

The dragon slayer smirked at her, and the two of them waded out of the pond with the unconscious card mage.

* * *

The two sober wizards walked in silence side by side with their inebriated charge dangling off of each of their shoulders between them. Laxus had thrown on a pair of pants before they left and Mirajane had put on her pajamas- a green t-shirt and some shorts with the Fairy Tail mark. The motherly demon mage put a robe over Cana, deciding it would be too difficult to dress her if she thrashed around-which often happened when she passed out after drinking too much.

The moon was beaming down brightly on them, making Mirajane's white hair glow with an angelic light. It was so bright that the dragon slayer had to look away, pretending to be interested in the trees surrounding them. Finally, deciding to try to break the ice, Laxus spoke up, looking over at the eldest Strauss.

"So what brings the two of you here together? Is Cana staying with you guys? And why is she…"

"…More wasted than usual?" Mira finished for him, sighing heavily as she said this.

"She's just with us for tonight, though I suspect she'll come back again pretty soon. Said it would be fun to train together and stargaze."

The blonde man smirked lightly, continuing for her. "And by that what she really meant was 'get incredibly hammered', right?"

The white haired woman sighed again before smiling sadly. "Cana… She would never admit it, but she really was hurt when Gildarts left again…"

The lightning mage was now gazing at her, frowning slightly as he listened intently to the motherly barmaid. Mirajane cast her eyes downward, continuing to smile sadly.

"Cana is strong, and she will get through this, but I think it really hurt her that Gildarts would leave again so soon, especially since he just found out about the true nature of their relationship… She feels abandoned again." The white haired woman adjusted her sad gaze to the unconscious brunette, using her free left hand to brush a loose strand of hair out of the card mage's face. Laxus could not help but smile gently at the tender and motherly action that was so very like her- The woman she was now.

The dragon slayer turned away from her and looked up at the stars. "Ya know I… I don't think Gildarts' leaving had anything to do with Cana. I think it was something else. I don't know much about their situation, but I think Gildarts does… Er… I think he really does… care about her."

Mirajane frowned a little, looking up curiously at the scarred man. His cheeks were a little darker than usual and he was looking away from her, clearly trying to think of how to speak in a comforting way, as though it was a foreign language. She could not help but smile a little as he struggled to find the words. Laxus trying to be sweet was somewhat endearing, in an odd way.

"See, guys handle things differently. We don't really… Talk about our problems, unlike girls who never stop talking." At this the barmaid shot him a glare, and he quickly tried to recover. "I mean, we uh, well…" He scratched his head with his free hand. "Point is, Gildarts probably left because something else was bothering him. I don't think he meant to abandon her, I'm sure there's just somethin' else goin' on."

The demon mage sighed once more, looking forward as the two of them continued to drag the drunken card mage through the forest. "You're probably right. But that doesn't change the fact that, in a sense, he DID abandon her, and even though she's strong and has been dealing with this for years… It still hurts."

The blonde lightning mage fixated his eyes on her for a moment before facing forward again, adjusting his grip on the fortune teller's waist. His mind drifted as he thought on Mira's words. He knew the feeling of abandonment all too well- The feeling that maybe you had done something wrong, that the whole world was against you, that you were helpless to do anything about it. He also knew the feeling of losing oneself to other things. In Cana's case, she turned to drinking at an early age, and drinking even more when something was really bothering her. In his own case, he chose to blame the fact that his father had abandoned him on everyone around him- Blamed it on all of them being weak, of not being good enough. At some point he had lost himself, who he really was, all because he was searching for an answer, trying to make sense of being abandoned, of being 'betrayed' by his grandfather who had kicked his own son out of the guild. He could not face reality. So he knew- He understood Cana.

The scarred man, however, was pulled out of his deep contemplation when he felt the arm he had slung around his neck move and heard the sound of cloth tearing along with a mumbled "pillows" coming from his and Mira's charge. He looked down at the white haired woman, only to have all of the blood in his body rush to his cheeks- And possibly other places as well.

Cana had apparently torn Mira's t-shirt open to lay her head on the demon barmaid's exposed and apparently warm, 'pillow-like' breasts. The demon mage was looking down at the brunette in shock, eyes wide and mouth hung open. Laxus's face quickly mirrored hers, and before he could stop himself, he voiced out loud the first thought that came to his mind.

"I wouldn't mind trading places with her right now."

It all happened in an instant. Mirajane looked up at him, her face going even more into shock- If that was possible. The shock was quickly replaced with anger, however, as her aura turned dark and magic swirled around her body violently. The barmaid transformed into Satan Soul form as she quickly dragged the drunk woman out of the blonde man's grip, slinging her over her own shoulder. Laxus sputtered a bit, at a loss for words _which he really wished had been the case several seconds prior._

"I… Mira… Eer…" He shook his head a bit, his cheeks still flushed. "Here let me help, I'll just carry her back for y—"

"I told you before I could do it myself. I don't know why you bothered to come along anyway."

"Oi, Mira, I didn't-"

"Goodnight, Laxus." She finished sharply, glaring back at him once before storming back to her camp, in Satan Soul form, for the second night in a row, because of him.

* * *

For the next few nights, Mirajane avoided going to the pond after dark. She would only go in the mornings with her sister, taking great care to make sure she never ran into Laxus. The blonde man could not help but feel a bit disappointed by this, wondering if he would ever get a chance to run into her again before the Grand Magic Games. He was not sure why exactly he hoped for this, but he soon got his chance.

* * *

One morning, about three days after Cana's visit, Mirajane came out of her tent to see her younger sister and brother happily cooking away and setting out their dishes on the picnic blanket they ate on. However, something was off.

Mirajane frowned slightly, mentally counting the number of plates and utensils Lisanna was placing.

"Lisanna, why are you setting out seven plates? Is Cana coming back with some of the others?"

The youngest Strauss beamed, giggling a little. "No, not Cana. Some other Fairy Tail members."

Mirajane continued to frown, cupping her chin in one hand, resting the elbow on her other arm slung underneath her chest. Who else could it be? There were seven in Natsu's party and it was unlikely that they would separate during this time, Gajeel was not big on being social and only ever seemed to spend time with Pantherlily, there were three in Levy's group, so who could the four be?

"There you guys are! You made it just in time!"

"Being on time for breakfast is a MAN!"

Her eyes widened in realization, and a voice from behind confirmed her horrific suspicions.

"You're STILL using that absurd phrase?" A haughty female voice retorted.

"Elfman, please remember that 'man' is a noun, a very specific one, not an all-encompassing verb, pronoun, or adjective…" Added a gentlemanly and extremely proper voice.

"Man! Man! Man!" A series of high pitched voices echoed.

Slowly, the barmaid turned around, eyes wide with horror, afraid but fully aware of what was behind her.

There stood Freed, Evergreen, Bixlow, and…

Laxus Dreyar. In her camp.

The blonde man stood there with his hands stuffed in his pockets, a light and knowing smirk on his face.

"Why hello there, Mirajane. It's been a while."

* * *

**A/N: THANK YOU GUYS! Feel free to leave comments and all that! I'll try to get the next chapter to you quicker than this one, but no promises!**


	4. Acceptance and Understanding

**Hey everyone! Got this one up a bit faster than the last one! Probably should be doing other more productive things, but oh well.**

**Let me know if the first part is too boring and I'll avoid drawing out scenes like that in the future. I'm open to all critiques and suggestions! Sorry it's so insanely long this time too, not sure HOW it got so long, but it did. Maybe I do a bit too much detail?**

**Either way, this chapter was way more fun to write than the last one- Easier too. Hopefully the rest will be this easy! **

**Thanks again everyone for all your reviews, follows, and favs! I love em all and they mean so much! Keep it up and keep me motivated!**

**Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima, not me. If I did own it, it would probably be... Pretty much the same, except more shipping and more trolling. Hur hur. Oh, and the fight scenes would probably suck a lot more. And it would take way long for each chapter to come out. **

* * *

"Ah, Lisanna, your cooking truly has improved. Why, in no time you will be right there with Mirajane behind the bar serving us all meals!"

"Ahahaha! Make sure ya make plenty extra for my babies!"

"I am fairly certain that those dolls of yours don't eat, Bixlow."

"Serving meals is a MAN!"

"Isn't there a really easy joke to be made here, big brother…?"

Mirajane sighed, smiling a little at the scene before her despite how unexpected it was. The seven of them sat on either side of the picnic blanket. On one side, Lisanna was settled between Bixlow and Freed, giggling while the bulky Elfman and the haughty Evergreen sat on the other side, making faces and arguing over the silliest things. Mirajane sat next to her younger brother and across from her, next to Freed, was, of course, Laxus- who had finished his food quickly and was just sitting there, cross-legged, elbow propped up on one leg and his chin in his hand. He was watching the other five banter and trying to look bored by it, but Mirajane could not help but notice the slight curl at the edge of his lips. Suddenly, as if aware of her observation, Laxus turned his gold eyes to meet her sapphire ones.

"Yo."

The demon mage reddened slightly and turned away quickly, embarrassed at being caught staring. The blonde man frowned, fixating his eyes on her turned head for a moment longer before turning his attention back to the others.

Elfman was now stuffing his face and trying to hold a conversation at the same time while Lisanna giggled and Evergreen and Freed stared in horror.

"Oh for the love of… Would you please not talk with your mouth full, you big stupid oaf?!" The blonde woman said, raising her voice a bit. "I swear, the only thing even remotely cute about you is your name!"

The bulky white haired man swallowed the food in his mouth, retorting "A man doesn't need to be cute! Besides, you aren't my mom and you definitely aren't Mira! But, that aside…" The male take over mage took that moment to observe his surroundings, a hint of red in his cheeks. "What's with these seating arrangements?! Why am I next to HER?!" He thrust a finger into the busty blonde's cheek, accidently smearing a bit of egg onto it and sending her into a fit of profanities.

Next to a still laughing Bixlow, his younger sister giggled, covering her mouth slightly and attempting to look innocent. "Well, Elfman, I really just wanted to catch up with Bixlow and Freed! And since we're the ones who arranged this little get together we thought it would be best if the three of us sat together so that we could more easily explain our plans! Right?" She looked at Freed pleadingly, her eyes full of mirth as she continued to attempt to stifle her girlish giggling.

The green haired man smirked, also amused by the situation. "Indeed. And so with the three of us on this side, we can better address the rest of you on that side."

Bixlow, not known for his self control, added in "Plus we know how crazy you two are for eachother and didn't wantcha to feel lonely for three whole months! Now ya got three whole months to get it outta your systems and bang like crazy! AHAHAHHA!"

"Bang! Crazy! Bang!"

Both the busty fairy mage and bulky take over mage turned as red as Erza's hair, mouths open in horror. The barmaid now could no longer hold in the big mischievously innocent smile that broke out onto her features.

"My my, I just hope you don't do anything lewd in front of our precious little sister, Elfman. You still need to set a good example!"

The lightning mage smirked, deciding to join in the fun. "Just make sure you're safe, man. If you have kids now you'll turn poor Mira's hair even grayer. I don't think she's ready to be called 'auntie' just yet."

The woman in question raised an eyebrow, turning her attention to the blonde man. Just as she was about to retort, however, Freed cleared his throat.

"Ahem. The private lives of Fairy Tail's most polar opposite couple aside," to which the pair in question started to protest, before Laxus held his hand up so that the rune mage could finish. The green haired man smiled gratefully at the lightning mage and continued.

"First, let me thank Elfman and Lisanna for this lovely meal. It was quite wonderful, and sharing it with friends made it that much better." The animal soul mage blushed a little, smiling shyly. "Second, I am sure the rest of you are wondering why the three of us planned this little get-together." He nodded at the youngest white haired mage, who smiled brightly and continued for him now that the giggling was out of her system.

"We ran into each other in town and realized we were all staying in the same general area and thought it might be nice to all train together. Each of us has a different set of skills that would help train different aspects of our strength and conquer our weaknesses, so that we would all be better prepared for the Grand Magic Games. However, in addition to that, there's also the matter of our two S-class mages." At this, everyone looked over to Mirajane and Laxus, who both frowned slightly. The scarred man raised an eyebrow while the demon mage tilted her head slightly. The youngest Strauss smiled at her older sister.

"Mira- Elfman, Cana and I all know we aren't a match for you in terms of raw power. We can help you train in other ways, and we can tag-team, but I'm sure you want to be able to improve your sheer strength against a challenging opponent." At this, the seventeen year old looked over at Laxus, smiling brightly. "Freed and Bixlow told me that you had a similar issue, Laxus. They could help you train other aspects of yourself, but in terms of raw power there's no comparison. So we thought…"

The green haired rune mage picked up for her. "Mirajane, I know you stopped fighting for a couple of years, but you hold a lot of raw power within you. I saw it myself, that day you finally let it out again. You are a very formidable wizard, and while you may not be an exact match for Laxus, you can certainly pose a challenge and who knows- Maybe you will be able to quickly make up for those two years of lost time, in addition to the other seven we all wish to recover."

At this, the demon barmaid and dragonslayer exchanged glances, both frowning a bit before turning back to the three conspirators. The former mulled this over in her head for a moment before finally speaking up.

"So… You're saying that you got us all here to train together, but mostly, you want Laxus and I to fight…?"

The blonde man's chin was no longer cupped in his hand. Instead, he was sitting up a little bit straighter, his forearms each resting on his thighs and his expression one of slight bewilderment and interest. He was meant to battle with _Mirajane_? Sure, she had been a powerful kid, probably as strong as Erza at one point, but when they all thought Lisanna died the demon had lost nearly two years of time, choosing to play housewife to the guild instead of train like the rest of them. She never went on missions or even threw a punch, not until right before he was thrown out of the guild.

Freed smiled brightly. "That is correct. We feel that you two would make very suitable partners to each other for training. The rest of us will train with one another and provide you two with challenges to help improve your other skills, such as agility, speed, and anything else of that nature."

Mirajane thought quietly for a moment, then stood up, placing on hand on her hip and smiling innocently. "Well then, no need to wait. Let's get started."

Everyone stared up at her, their faces expressing confusion and mild bewilderment.

"Sis, you need to wait 45 minutes after eating before doing anything strenuous." Chided the youngest Strauss.

"Yeah Mira, even a man—"

The blonde man stood up, stuffing his hands in his pockets and smirking.

"Nah, she's right. The woman is clearly rarin' to go and frankly all this talking is boring. I'm all for some action." He smirked, looking at the white haired woman and wondering if she was still mad at him. It was hard to tell with that smile.

The barmaid beamed, her innocent smile barely masking the ominous aura surrounding her. "I'm so glad you agree, Laxus!"

The lightning dragon slayer crackled his knuckles. "Let's get this started, Mira. Where do you—"

A flash of dark light, followed by a clawed and scaly fist careening into the blonde man's jaw, sending him flying into the nearest tree as dishes and cups were scattered across the blanket and onto the dirt.

_Oh yeah ._He thought to himself, rubbing his head and sitting up._ She's definitely still pissed._

* * *

The five onlookers' jaws dropped as they stared at the scene before them. No one even knew where to begin. Dishes were everywhere, and some of the mages even had bits of food on their faces from the wind force of the punch, and everything was just a mess. Not to mention Laxus was currently sitting dumbfounded under a particularly sturdy tree that somehow did not crack with the force of his body. The normally calm and sweet Mirajane suddenly transforming and assaulting Laxus was beyond comprehension. They were all sure Laxus somehow deserved it, but that still did not explain anything. Finally, after some time, Lisanna slowly spoke up.

"…Popcorn."

Evergreen guffawed, staring at the younger girl. _"…Popcorn?"_

The animal soul mage nodded, still staring. She then quickly stood up, running over to the campfire and shuffling through her bags. Bixlow's gape turned into a wide grin as he too quickly stood up, running over to Lisanna to assist her as his dolls chanted 'Popcorn! Popcorn! Popcorn!'

The other three remained seated, still completely dumbfounded by what had just happened. As if automatically, Elfman began delicately picking up the scatted dishes, his eyes fixated on his sister's back, which had sprouted wings and a tail. Freed jumped a little and moved to help him as did Evergreen. They finished quickly, placing the dishes in the conveniently located waterfall pond near next to their camp, moving back to sit on a large log that served as a bench of sorts. All the while they kept their eyes on the two S-class mages, who remained still and silent, staring each other down dangerously.

Lisanna and Bixlow ran over to their three companions, followed by five floating bowls of popcorn. Lisanna sat herself down next to Freed, followed by Bixlow as the five floating dishes hovered over the soul mage. He started distributing the vessels to his four companions, and as he did each bowl giggled and then fell silent as the souls possessing them returned to their original tiki doll bodies. The armor clad mage handed one bowl to Freed, who put up his hand and scoffed.

"I refuse to make light of Laxus's trials by deriving entertainment from them. I cannot believe you are all eating POPCORN after he was so violently atta-"

Bixlow let go of the bowl and it floated in front of the flamboyant rune mage, giggling, dancing, and chanting, "Fun! Fun! Fun!" as it spilled bits of popcorn into his lap.

The green haired man rolled his eyes and sighed, taking the vessel out of the air and reluctantly popping a few kernels into his mouth. "Well, I suppose we may as well try and observe…"

* * *

Laxus continued to stare at the demon, completely dumbfounded. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the white haired woman took a step forward. Then another. And another.

She was walking towards him casually now, a smirk caressing her now (fittingly) demonic features. The blonde lightning mage shook his head to clear it and stood up, brushing himself off. As he finished pulling leaves out of his spiked golden hair, he took a deep breath, staring at the demonic barmaid before him. She stopped a few yards in front of him, crossing her arms over her chest and continuing to smirk. The lightning mage cracked his neck, glancing over at their five companions.

"Looks like you set their expectations high for a show." He looked back at the eldest Strauss, returning her smirk. "I suppose we may as well give 'em one, eh? Just let me know if I'm being too rough on ya, wouldn't want your fans to come after me for scuffing up that model body of yours."

Mirajane's eyes narrowed, her smirk widening into a grin as she cupped her chin coyly. "Says the man who just spent the last 10 minutes trying to recover from a little punch to the face."

The scarred man stepped forward, his hands starting to crackle with lightning as his lip continued to curl at one corner of his mouth. "I just wanted to make sure you really wanted to do this."

He stopped a couple yards before her, golden lightning dancing around his body as dark purple energy swirled around hers.

* * *

"Well well well, what've we got here!"

Lisanna and Freed each felt a hand on their shoulders and looked back in surprise. Cana knelt down behind them, grinning widely. "Oooh popcorn!" The alchoholic reached over the green haired man's shoulder, grabbing up a fistful of popcorn and stuffing it into her mouth before the rune mage could protest. Another bowl floated over to them, dancing and giggling as the card mage plopped herself down between the young animal soul mage and the flamboyant man. She took the floating dish out of the air and started to stuff her face with its contents, gulping down a few mouthfuls before looking around and seeing that only the two next to her and Bixlow seemed to notice her presence, and even then they had only paid her mind for a moment before turning their gazes forward once more. Frowning, the brunette followed their eyes to see what had them so preoccupied.

"What's up? Are Laxus and Mira gonna fight or somethin'?" She asked, stuffing more popcorn into her mouth.

The animal soul mage smiled at her. "Oh, sorry Cana! Yeah, we got them together to train and then Mira punched Laxus in the face and then they just stared at eachother forever and then—" Seeing that the card mage was thoroughly confused, she breathed out, laughing a little at how fast she had been talking. "Yeah, they're gonna fight. But what are you doing back so soon? I thought you were going to go train with Macao and Wakaba."

The brunette furrowed her eyebrows together, puffing her cheeks out in a pout. "Yeah I WAS but those geezers are insistent about not fightin' in the games. Besides, I ran into Makarov and he wanted me to tell ya'll somethin', but I'll wait till those two are done… However long THAT might take." She looked back at the two staring each other down, tossing more kernels into her mouth as Lisanna giggled and turned her attention back to the unfolding battle as well.

* * *

Not wanting to drag out their little stare-down any longer, Laxus gathered lightning around his fist and slammed it into the ground. Thin golden bolts rapidly began to dance towards the stationary demon as the ground between the two S-class mages cracked and split, sending rocks and dirt flying. Mirajane crouched down and jumped into the air just before the violent yellow streaks hit her. The white haired woman spread her wings out, pulling one hand back as she collected dark magic into it. She thrust her arm forwards and down, chucking the ball of dark energy down at the blonde man who quickly jumped out of the way.

They continued to throw magic energy at each other before the barmaid finally swooped down in front of the artificial dragon slayer, exchanging magic-imbued punches with him for a while, which each of them managed to avoid getting hit by anywhere other than their forearms.

The woman sent a swift kick at his knees, attempting to knock him over, but he jumped up and sent another bolt of lightning flying at her. The demon leapt into the air once more, charging up a large magical ball of demonic energy. As she threw it, however, the blonde man used his Lightning Body spell to turn himself into crackling golden energy and rushed up to her, careening into her exposed stomach. She winced and thrust her knee upwards, knocking Laxus out of his ethereal form and pounding him right under his chin.

The lightning mage's mind went blank for a moment. He grabbed the demon's arm, using it to swing himself behind her in the air as he slammed both of his feet, surrounded by lightning, into her back, sending her body down into the earth below. He lightning-bodied back down to the ground, huffing a bit as the smoke cleared. Reality set back in as it did and he felt his stomach drop when the figure revealed by the clearing dust was that of a white haired woman in a long red dress – Not a demon.

Gasps resounded from their audience as they rushed forward.

"Mira!"

"Sis! Are you- "

The figure on the ground twitched a bit and sat up, shaking her head before fully standing and brushing herself off. She turned to Laxus, smiling cheerily.

"Well, that was certainly fun. I think that's enough of that for today though. We should let everyone else have a chance, after all."

The lightning dragon slayer relaxed a bit, nodding. "Uh, yeah. Guess so. Mira are you sure you-"

Before he could finish, the barmaid had turned away and was walking towards her sister and Cana, happily stating that she would need to change and wash her dress later. Laxus sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets and following the others as they prepared for the other training plans they had.

* * *

Freed created an obstacle course with the help of Bixlow's spirits possessing different inanimate objects that had been placed around. Everyone took turns using the course except for Mirajane and Laxus. Mirajane claimed she wanted everyone else to have their fair chance at it and would instead cheer them on from the sidelines, where she sat nearly the entire rest of the day. The lightning mage also opted out, using the same excuse Mirajane had, although he did on occasion throw lightning into the course for the others to dodge- particularly Freed, who he figured had an advantage since he set it up. However, he could not help but continually look up at Mirajane, trying to read her insanely cheerful expression. She let no other emotions escape, however, so he was unable to tell what was on her mind.

* * *

As the sun set, the Thunder God Tribe and Laxus gathered up their things and said goodbye to Cana and the Strauss siblings, agreeing to meet up again for training the next day.

Shortly after their companions left, the four remaining sat down to enjoy a dinner that was significantly quieter than their breakfast or lunch. As Mirajane finished her food she stood up slowly, smiling and excusing herself to go clean up.

* * *

Laxus finished up his dinner with the Thunder God Tribe, grunting to excuse himself for a bath.

As he entered the clearing where the small lakelet was, he could not help but frown at the fact that it was quiet and abandoned. The blonde lightning mage shrugged and started to take off his shirt, but something caught his attention. His enhanced sense of smell caught a strange scent in the air, and when he looked down he noticed that there were soft imprints in the grass that could not be more than fifteen minutes old. He sniffed the air again and his eyes widened slightly.

Blood. That was definitely the smell of blood- fresh blood.

The artificial dragon slayer tossed off his shirt (which was already mostly off anyway) and walked towards the scent. His sharp eyes caught small specs of dark red on the grass and his legs began to move forward faster, a sense of urgency running through his body.

His heart pounded heavily as he roughly pushed his way through the brush of the forest, following the salty and metallic scent. He had to rely on his enhanced eyesight to guide him as the canopy of the trees was growing thicker with every swift step he took, blocking out the white glow of the moon. After what seemed like ages, however, he saw a faint light glowing through the trees, and his nose told him that the source of the scent- The source he was sure he already knew-was not far. He slowed down before pushing his way through the trees and brush blocking the clearing. As he entered, his nostrils were assaulted with a variety of different scents and sensations other than the one he had followed here- Heat, herbs, and medicine.

Before him was a decently sized hot spring with clear green water and steam curling upwards and fading as it extended up into the night air. Where one side of the spring- The side he came from- was blocked by trees and brush, the other was blocked by the side of a large rock hill. The clear aqua waters of the spring revealed a variety of different plants growing from the bottom. Judging from the smell, he suspected that most of them were used in different medicines and herbal remedies. He also noted some strange bulb-like flowers that were growing at the bottom and on the sides of the pond- They were white, or gold, or pink, he could not really tell, but they each emitted an elegant light, which lit up the heated pond in a soft, white-golden glow. Spotted throughout the pond were also a series of fist-sized holes that spouted streams of bubbles, likely the source of the heart, which prevented the area from being caught in complete silence.

Standing amidst all this elegance was an equally elegant figure with cascading white hair and large cerulean eyes, which were currently closed as her delicate arms tried to reach around behind her, holding a fistful of what the man assumed were medicinal herbs.

He quietly took off his pants, leaving his boxers on, and carefully waded into the spring, hoping the sound of the underwater gyzers were enough to mask his presence. He stopped just behind her and carefully reached out his hand, plucking the herbs from the woman's and placing them on her back, which he was unable to really see due to all the steam.

The white haired woman jumped and turned around, instinctively covering her chest.

"Who—Laxus?"

She twisted her face, obviously unsure of how exactly to react. Should she be relieved that it was someone she knew, or annoyed because she could therefore not just punch him in the face? Well, she COULD just punch him anyway, but…

The blonde man nodded once in acknowledgement, then tried to crane his neck to get a look at her back again. She continually moved with his gaze though, obviously avoiding him seeing whatever it was that was there. The woman narrowed her eyes, speaking firmly.

"Go away Laxus. You don't need to see me naked again."

"Let me see your back."

"What? No. You can't see my naked backside either."

"Your back."

"No. How in the world did you even find me?"

At this the lightning mage tapped his nose, before once again trying to move behind the reluctant barmaid. Again, she moved out of the way, but winced as she did so. He narrowed his eyes and grabbed her left wrist with his left hand, her right arm still covering her chest, as he quickly moved so he was behind her. He moved his hand to her shoulder to keep her still while she protested, wincing all the while. The blonde used his right hand to gently push her long hair out of the way, which he noted had red blotches in it. His eyes widened the instant her back was exposed.

"Mirajane… What the hell…"

"Laxus, I'm fine, really, I—"

He let go of her, smacking his face into his palm.

"I knew it. The way you hardly moved after that… Damnit…"

She furrowed her brows, all anger leaving her face.

"Laxus…"

The man in question looked up at her, and the look on his face made her wince. It was a mixture of anger, regret, and hate- All of which seemed to be geared at himself. The barmaid smiled sadly, as if she suddenly understood. She slowly reached out her hand to him, using it to gently remove the one that was on his face. He looked up at her, unable to form words, and she just smiled back at him. The scene was almost as though she were a mother, and he was a child who had accidently broken her favorite lamp while running or playing magic tag in the house.

The scarred man looked down again. "I didn't mean to... to do _that_, I was just surprised and caught up in the moment... Damnit…"

The white haired demon continued to smile, resting her hand on his shoulder and turning away slightly. "It's okay, really, I should have been more careful. It just caught me off guard. I'm really alright- I could have kept going…" Her expression changed, and a light smirk crossed her features as she looked back at him. "I just didn't want to beat you up too badly. Next time, I won't be so generous."

He looked up at her, briefly smiling before this turned into a smirk. "Really now? So that means your punches might actually at least _tickle_ next time?"

The demon mage giggled in response, stopping midway to wince. Laxus frowned, furrowing his brows together.

"Turn around."

The white haired woman sighed and nodded, realizing she was not going to be able to get out of this one and, quite frankly, was too worn out at this point to really care. She watched as the blonde man started looking around at the different plants, reaching towards one and then pulling back, obviously unsure of what any of them actually did. Smiling lightly, the barmaid carefully plucked a couple leaves from a few different plants that were growing in the spring, handing them to the muscular man. He took them from her, raising an eyebrow at the small leaves and wondering how she had so quickly figured out which ones were which, but then shrugged and twirled his free hand as a motion for her to turn around. She complied and the scarred man moved close behind her, turning a bit red at the proximity before mashing the leaves with both hands and then placing one hand on her shoulder to steady himself as he gently started to rub the strange mixture into her wounds, cringing a bit when she winced.

As the lightning dragon slayer did this, he noted again just how bad her back looked. From the bottom of her shoulder blades down to the small of her back the top layer of skin was missing, with the flesh dipping down more where the wound was a bit deeper and in some areas the skin was even singed. Laxus stopped rubbing the mixture in for a moment, just resting his hand on the smaller woman's back as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"God damnit…"

The white haired mage lifted up her right hand to rest it timidly on the one Laxus had placed on her shoulder.

"It's okay, really. Those herbs I gave you…"

The shirtless man looked up as Mira removed her hand from his and started pointing at the different plants she had plucked from.

"That one there stops bleeding. That one over there is for pain, though it really stings when you apply it. And that reddish one, right there, that one prevents scarring."

Laxus mulled this over for a moment before speaking. "So… It isn't… Going to scar?"

The demon mage chuckled lightly. "No Laxus, you don't have to worry about my rabid fans coming after you. If a little something like this left a scar on me my modeling career would have been over long before it started."

At this the older boy smirked. "I guess that's true. You were such a little punk way back when, finding trouble at every opportunity. If not for herbs, magic, and Porlyusica you'd probably be covered in scars from head to toe."

The motherly girl giggled, wincing a bit as she did so but continuing. "I had to see Porlyusica so much that eventually she got fed up and just taught me what plants to use and how to mix and prepare them so that she didn't have to come to the guild so much. It ended up working out though, since I could take care of minor scrapes and bruises for anyone in the guild."

"Makes sense, since you probably caused half of them."

She swung her hand around, splashing behind her and grinning when she heard him grunt in surprise. "Hey now, I only started the ones with Erza. Anything else was just typical guild brawling and not my fault."

The man snorted. "Yeah yeah whatever you say, demon child."

Mirajane just rolled her eyes but said nothing. After a moment, Laxus started back up on massaging the ointment into her wound, trying to make sure it was applied but also doing his best not to cause her any more pain. After a time he heard a soft tune, barely audible over the gyzers. He tuned his ears to listen more carefully and realized that she was humming. He closed his eyes, resting his hand as he listened to her melodic vibrations.

"Is something the matter?" The white haired woman asked curiously, stopping her humming.

Laxus opened his eyes shook his head, realizing he had, to her, just randomly stopped. The blonde man looked down, trying to come up with an excuse.

"The water goes up past your wound. I can't put the stuff on it." Well, it was true.

"Hmm. I guess that is a problem." She thought for a moment. "Turn around a sec. WITHOUT any cheeky remarks." She added.

The artificial dragon slayer frowned, opening his mouth to say something but then shutting it and turning around like he was told. He felt a bit of magic behind him and when it was gone he turned around. Mirajane was now facing him, clad in a backless swimsuit. She smiled at him and moved to get out of the spring, setting herself down on a rock to wring out the ends of her hair that had been floating in the water. The blonde man followed after her, holding his hand up awkwardly to avoid washing the gunk off of it as he climbed out of the warm pool and sat down beside the injured woman. She nodded at him and moved to face away from him so he could continue.

As he finished up applying the mixture to her back, the blonde man looked around.

"Oi, Mira, you got any gauze?"

"Mm, oh dear, I was in such a rush to get here, and I didn't want anyone to see me, so I forgot it…"

The man grunted again, standing up. Mirajane looked at him curiously as he walked over to the edge of the clearing, noting only now that he was wearing only his boxers. She blushed a little bit and turned away quickly. The muscular man sat down behind her again, and she heard tearing and felt cloth being placed on her back.

"Laxus, what are you—"

The demon mage looked back again, letting out a small gasp. Laxus had his pants on his lap and was tearing off thin and jagged pieces from them to apply to her back.

"No, I don't need—"

The man just grunted, again, motioning for her to face away from him once more so he could get at her back better.

"They're just pants. I've got more pairs and I can always buy more."

The barmaid sighed, smiling lightly as she faced away from him. "Thank you, Laxus."

Another grunt, and the two remained silent for the duration of his doctoring.

* * *

Mirajane collected her clothes and looked back at the nearly naked lightning mage, smiling warmly.

"Thank you, Laxus. I couldn't really do this by myself, and I didn't want to worry anyone else, so… Thank you."

The blonde man turned away from her. "Don't thank me. It's my fault, I was only doing what I was supposed to."

The white haired women shrugged, still smiling. "Even so, you came and found me, even ruined your clothes for me, so… Really, thank you."

The cocky lightning mage turned back to her, smirking. "Maybe I was just disappointed that I hadn't gotten a show in a little while. Or maybe I wanted an excuse to give you one."

The barmaid rolled her eyes, playing along. "Really? It happened only two times and you already start expecting it? And what makes you think I want to see _your_ body?"

"Three times now, and either way, I suspect you'll get to see this plenty." He gestured downwards at his muscular body, still smirking arrogantly. "After all, your brother and sister and my lackeys have decided we're going to see each other every day now, right?" His smirk turned into a cheeky grin. "Perhaps we should add 'private bath time' to the schedule?"

He expected her to transform and storm off again, but instead, she just chuckled lightly and shook her head. "Nice try Laxus, but you're not going to get under my skin that easily. You already proved tonight that you aren't just some egotistic self-absorbed sex crazed asshole, as much as you may want to pretend to be."

At this, the scarred man's face dropped and turned bright red. Mirajane flashed him her signature sweet and innocent smile- The one that usually meant she was either plotting, angry, or knew she was getting under your skin- before turning on her heel and exiting the clearing. She waved behind her, calling out, "Goodnight Laxus! See you tomorrow!"

All Laxus could do was nod and stare after her, red-faced and frowning.

* * *

Mirajane lay in bed, mulling over what had just happened. It was strange- She was so mad at him earlier, yet suddenly he appeared in her bath and she just accepted it. The way he looked when he found out he had hurt her… It was the way Elfman always looked when he was younger after he had done something wrong and was trying to apologize to her. Laxus Dreyar had looked like a child who had done something wrong and just been scolded for it, and Mirajane could not help that this brought out her motherly nature. Not to mention that he looked so cute like that.

Cute? Laxus Dreyar?

She covered her mouth as a silly giggle bubbled out, trying not to wake her sister. Yes, Laxus Dreyar, the powerful, arrogant, stubborn S-class lightning mage looked like no more than a sullen child that night, and the more she thought about it, the more this seemed to fit. He was definitely a man-child, and realizing this suddenly made him that much easier to deal with and understand. After all, when their parents died, it was Mirajane who had raised Elfman and Lisanna.

Yes, that was how she would put up with the arrogant grandson of Makarov for these next three months-

Continually remind herself that he was no more than a child in need of some parental guidance. She smiled and giggled again, letting sleep take her for the night.

* * *

Laxus lay on his bed which was tucked away in a tent he had all to himself. He stared at the starry sky through the transparent screen at the top of his little abode. The night sky dotted with tiny lights reminded him of that herbal pond from earlier, and the events that had taken place there.

The strangeness of his actions was only just now occurring to him. Why did he care so much about injuring Mirajane? Granted he no longer had the desire to hurt anyone in Fairy Tail- other than Natsu and that idiot Gajeel, of course- and he really did care about and want to protect them, as he had done on Tenroujima, but to go so far out of his way for one person? Just because he smelled blood? Of course he did not want anything to happen to her, or to anyone in the guild, but he had rushed there like his own life depended on it.

Was it guilt? Did he feel bad knowing that it was him who had hurt her? Yes, that was likely part of it, though he did not feel bad for beating up Natsu or Gajeel when they provoked him. This was different though- They were just training, and he had drawn blood.

Then there was that awkward exchange in the hot spring. If anyone else had insisted for him to go away like that, he probably would have. So why was he so determined to stay and help HER? Again, was it just the guilt? Or was it…

He thought back to his younger days, after his dad had been kicked out and Lisanna had supposedly died. He remembered sitting in that tree outside Mirajane's second story window at Fairy Hills, taking his headphones off to listen to that sad song she sang so often.

He thought back even further, to the days when Mira and her siblings had first joined the guild and his grandfather told him to try and make friends with them. He remembered the old man telling Erza about the girl who had just joined that was her age, and how Erza tried to befriend the girl in her own way, only to have the haughty thirteen year old declare them as rivals. He remembered being told to help the little demon train because she wanted to be an S-class mage too.

Again the lightning dragon thought back to only two years ago, when the barmaid had taken up said role. He remembered how she would smile at him sadly every time he tried to tease her, and how, eventually, that sad smile turned into a bright and cheery beam that had everyone fooled, including herself. Fooled into thinking that she was just fine, or at least they pretended that they were fooled. He was not though. He knew it was a mask to hide the pain- her entire new demeanor was.

Then he recalled when he came to Tenroujima to help them all. Her smile was bright, so bright, and for the first time since he had met her, it was _pure_ and _real_. And it was shining at him. The lyrics of her song floated into his mind again, calling for him to sleep.

Perhaps the real reason he acted the way he did that night was simple. Perhaps, it was because…

…It was _her._

* * *

**Hope you all enjoyed that! The last bits were especially fun to write.**

**I'm debating changing the genres to Romance/Friendship or Romance/Family- What do you all think? I mean, there's drama in this and all, but I wouldn't say that's a huge aspect of it. I want it to be a more natural romance, born from the ideas of family and friendship since these are important parts of both Laxus and Mira's characters.**

**Anyway, keep leavin' that feedback! Thanks again everyone! I love all you fangirls and boys!**


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